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Provision (musical group)
Provision is an electronic music group based in Houston, Texas. Provision was founded in November 2000 by Breye 7x (Formerly of U-N-I and Bamboo Crisis) and Leslie Hyman (Formerly of U-N-I and Wraith). With 10 years of experience in former electronic acts under their belt, Leslie and Breye chose to infuse elements of classic Electronic Dance (Hi-NRG, Italo Disco), Industrial Dance (EBM) and Synthpop; to create what can only be called "The Provision Sound". Provision's music was initially self-described as "Electronic Dance Music with an Edge". In September 2012 with the coming of their 5th Full Length L.P. lead singer Breye 7x coined the term "Darkpop" to describe Provision's unique style of cultured Synthpop, Industrial Dance and Darkwave ambiance. Provision is widely known for their live shows in which you will hear classic Provision hits, along with brand new Provision tracks. Provision shows combine live synthesizers and electronic percussion, non-stop energy, intelligent lighting, and powerful vocals; with lyrics that tug at the heart. Provision has established themselves as a credible and professional support act in the U.S. electronic music scene having shared the stage with Red Flag, Anything Box, The Human League, Clan of Xymox, T-4-2, When In Rome, Cause & Effect, Shiny Toy Guns, Imperative Reaction, Icon of Coil, System Syn, Assemblage 23, Cesium_137, The Hunger, Christopher Anton (Information Society), The Cruxshadows, God Module, and CTRL, among many others... Provision has also performed live at many electronic music festivals including Gothcon II, Synthcon 2002, ADD2K4, ADD2K5, ADD2K6, SiNthetik Sk13s II, III & IV, Electro-Nexus, Summer Synthpop Festival 2003, Synthfest 2004, Texas Industrial Fest I, TERRORBYTE I, and as a vendor for A Different Drum at Convergence X, and as a performer at Convergence XIX. Since 2002, Provision has released 5 L.P.'s and 4 E.P.'s, appeared on numerous compilations; and produced multiple remixes for other electronic artists. Innocence - Evaporate - Devotion Provision self released their first E.P. Innocence in March 2002. It was limited to 100 copies. 65 copies were sold at Gothcon 2002, the night it was released. It sold out in May 2002, only having been out 2 months; with the only distribution being through live Provision shows. Label interest to release Provision's debut album was high in early 2002. The problem however, was that all of the release schedules offered; would not have the album into the hands of the public until the end of the year; or early 2003. Provision made the decision to self release their debut album Evaporate on May 31, 2002, the day before Provision performed in Los Angeles at Synthcon 2002; where just 2 days later they won "Best New U.S. Artist" in the American Synthpop Awards; thus solidifying their name and sound in the Synthpop world Evaporate was mastered by Mark Reynolds of the band Red Flag. Provision's debut album quickly drew comparisons to Information Society, Anything Box, Camouflage, Moskwa T.V., and Cetu Javu; as the album burst onto nightclub and independent radio playlists. Evaporate showcased the Provision message and sound through intense vocals, intricate analog programming, and expressive percussion. Mark Reynolds of Red Flag called Evaporate "The album Red Flag could have put out after Naive Art". With Evaporate, an album of love, heartache, and emotional dance floor energy was born. Tracks such as My Only Question, Breathe, Sacrifice, and December Morning have dominated numerous club, college and independent radio D.J.'s play lists since its release; and continue to be spun to this day. In March 2003 - Provision embarked on their Evaporate U.S. Tour, and self released their 2nd E.P. Devotion. Limited to only 100 copies, just over 80 Devotion E.P.'s were sold in only 2 weeks on the road. By mid 2003 Provision had completed 1 national and 2 regional U.S tours in support of Evaporate and Devotion. The initial pressing of Evaporate sold out in early 2004, due to Provision's relentless self-promotion and performances during their Liberation (Regional) and Evaporate U.S. Tours where they quickly gained the attention of electronic record labels in the U.S. and abroad. With multiple offers on the table to release their 2nd album, the band proudly signed with U.S. label A Different Drum in late 2003. Visualize - Could've Had It All In November 2003, Provision was honored to license their 2nd album Visualize for release with U.S. record label A Different Drum. The album was released in September 2004. Visualize was released as a 2 C.D. Limited Edition featuring a 2nd disc with remixes and the B-Sides "Insecurity" and "Replicate". Picking up where Evaporate had ended, Visualize expanded on Provision's signature sound; pushing the boundaries of emotion and longing, even further. Filled with songs that tug harder at the heart, than on any previous efforts released; Visualize proved to be Provision's finest effort to date. A Different Drum released the single E.P. Could've Had It All from Visualize, which included remixes by Daybehavior, B!Machine, and Ultraviolet. Also included were the B-Sides "Tragedy" and "In November". Performing tracks from their 2nd album Visualize, along with hits from their debut album Evaporate; Provision once again took their music to the masses. With their self booked, self promoted, 2 month U.S. Tour in December 2004 / January 2005 Provision took the U.S. by storm. Visualize continued to make waves as reviews, interviews, and DJ's playlists justified what was called Provision's best work ever. The Consequence - Ideal Warfare In spite of success, it had not been easy. Provision had faced many obstacles as a band. Provision has always performed as many live parts as possible on stage. They constantly fought against the stigma that many electronic acts face as credible musicians who really perform Live. Provision's opposition to Synth bands who prefer to perform "Fake To DAT" shows, has often caused controversy in online forums and open debates. But no matter what some other acts choose to do, Provision will always stand behind the fact that it is a band in every since of the word. Ultimately, retaining serious band members who wanted to tour, write music, contribute, and be a part of Provision full-time; had hindered Provision's progress. But despite the trials and tribulations they faced, Provision realizes that this happens to many bands. With each hurdle they overcame, they grew stronger and more determined than before. In the first 5 years of Provision's existence, there had been more than a handful of tragedies that made Breye question the future of the band. In Breye's words... "When Keyboardist / Vocalist Matt Coker left in 2001, it was the goal of finishing Evaporate that kept us going. When we had to let Alex Virlios go in August of 2003, it was Carlos Covarrubias and a record contract from A Different Drum that saved us. When Carlos moved away in August of 2004, and the announcement by Leslie Hyman that she would not be able to do most of the U.S. Tour in support of Visualize; it was the offer from Jen Foxx and Randon Harris to join the band that made me move forward." Provision lost founding member Leslie Hyman in September 2005, due to demanding career and lifestyle changes that no longer allowed her to be a part of the magic she helped create. After Leslie's departure, Jen and Breye worked on new material. And it was inevitable that The Consequence would become the third chapter of the Provision story. Breye wrote the last track on The Consequence - "Everytime" about Leslie, when she took her leave of absence from the band to start her medical career. September 2005 became the most uncertain time ever as Breye questioned the release of Provision's upcoming 3rd album. After moving back to Houston in the fall, Carlos Covarrubias rejoined Provision. In consulting with several personal advisers, and seeing that Jen Foxx and Carlos Covarrubias were now at the foundation of Provision; Breye's decision to begin recording The Consequence was solidified. In November 2005, Provision had 2 label offers on the table to release their upcoming 3rd album. Yet they once again were looking at a delay until late 2006, before their album would be released. After much consideration regarding the future of Provision's albums and how its releases had been handled in the past, the band decided to pass on both pending offers. Breye formed new U.S. label "Section 44 Records" with fellow U.S. electronic / synthpop bands Tristraum, and Eloquent. Provision released their 3rd album The Consequence on March 11, 2006. The Consequence was revered by many fans, DJ's, reviewers, and fellow electronic artists as Provision's most mature and polished album to date, and C.D. Release Party / Performance shows followed in Houston, TX at Numbers; and in San Antonio, TX at The Venue. Former keyboardist and percussionist Randon Harris returned to the band after the Official C.D. Release in Houston, and the band played live shows to support The Consequence throughout the spring and summer of 2006; ending with their final show that year in Salt Lake City at A Different Drum's 2K6 Synthpop Music Festival where they released their EP "Ideal Warfare" on September 2, 2006. The E.P. included the Singles "Ideal" & "Perversions of Conventional Warfare" from The Consequence, and included remixes by Rename, Tristraum, CTRL, DJ Dissent, People Theatre, Marcus Fellechner, System Syn, Back And To The Left, Asmodeus X, Blind Faith & Envy, Null Device, Cloudless, and Unitcode:Machine. Running the gamut of Electronic styles from Progressive Dance, Synthpop, House and Industrial; to Trance, Electro, Powernoise and D&B In November 2006, Jen and Breye welcomed their son Simon into the world. After almost 6 years of non stop performances, writing and recording; early 2007 saw Provision finally taking a break to spend time with their families. This time was also important for band members to work on personal musical endeavors such as Randon's band P for Flamingo's and Carlos's solo project Straynge. In mid 2007 - Despite upcoming shows with Assemblage 23, and talk of a new single and album by years end, Breye's discussions with each band member led to the end of the band. For 6 years straight (2001–2006) Provision was widely known in the U.S. for delivering live shows with incredible energy, frequency, and winning new fans wherever they performed. During this time Provision released 3 albums, 4 E.P.'s, appeared on numerous compilations; and produced multiple remixes for other electronic artists. Provision toured the U.S. twice for the albums Evaporate and Visualize, and continued to gain exposure for their numerous regional tours in support of their 2 limited edition E.P.'s. In late 2007, after almost 6 years of non-stop performing, writing and recording; the line up of Breye 7x, Jen Foxx, Carlos Covarrubias, and Randon Harris amicably disbanded as Provision. The decision was made so the individual members could focus on solo endeavors and spend time with their families. Paradigm Shift - A New Revolution In August 2008 Joel 313 of Asmodeus X approached Breye during a CTRL show at Elysium in Austin, TX with regard to working together on new music. After 3 months of toying with the idea of doing new music and performing live again, Breye held 2 private meetings in December 2008 at Provision's recording studio - Red Square Digital in Houston, Texas with Joel 313 (Schafer) of Asmodeus X and Matt Willis of Splendor Projekt regarding the formation of a new band. On January 5, 2009 - Breye, Joel, and Matt held their first official rehearsal, and decided unanimously against moving forward as a new band; and to proceed forward instead as Provision. Provision performed their comeback show on August 1, 2009 @ Scout Bar in Houston, TX with When In Rome. The band continued to perform live until years end, opening for multiple established acts such as The Hunger, Christopher Anton (Information Society), Erase The Virus, DJ Hans 242, CTRL, Program 88, and Vertigo Blue; while writing their 4th full length L.P. for release in 2010. On January 16, 2010, Joel Schafer stated that he was "calling it quits" and officially left Provision. As there was no falling out or warnings of his impending departure, remaining members Breye 7x and Matt Willis could only assume by his exact wording; that Joel would no longer be pursuing music in his life. On January 26, 2010, former Provision member Jen Kiser rejoined Provision. Having already written lyrics for half of the new songs being performed by Provision when they re-formed in 2009, her return as a full-time member was imminent. Provision performed numerous shows in the spring and summer of 2010, including high profile shows with Angels on Acid, Assemblage 23, Anything Box, and Christopher Anton (Information Society) among others. Provision entered their studio Red Square Digital in Houston, Texas on August 25, 2010 to record their 4th Full Length L.P. Paradigm Shift which was released worldwide on November 20, 2010'. Provision entered 2011 having released their 4th album, and the first live performance of the year was their Official C.D. Release Party in Dallas, TX at The House of Blues with Texas Synthpop Legends "T-4-2". Provision continued to perform live throughout the rest of the year with many well known acts such as Clan of Xymox, Anything Box, Christopher Anton (Information Society), //TENSE//, X1stance, and Post Faction. Provision was Officially Nominated in 2011 for "Best Electronic Band" in the Houston Press Music Awards. Provision kicked off 2012 with a live performance in Dallas, TX, opening once again for Texas Synthpop Legends "T-4-2" at the famous Prophet Bar. The set list for this show included a brand new song called "Image of You" performed live for the first time ever. Breye dedicated it to Jay Gillian of T-4-2 who had caught a rehearsal of the song during sound check, and stated "I really like this! It's catchy, with a nice groove. This is going to be a Hit!" On April 30, 2012, Provision began recording their 5th full length L.P. - ''A New Revolution at Red Square Digital in Houston, TX. Official Recording sessions were completed on August 12, 2012. Mixdown and post production was done proactively while the album was recorded, which was a first for Provision. On August 20, 2012, the band chose longtime Provision fan and friend Dan Guenther of Blind Faith & Envy, (AKA: Dan Vc of Vein Collector) to master “A New Revolution”. On August 31, 2012 the Official Cover Art and announcement of Provision's 5th L.P. were announced on the Official Facebook page of the band. Official Pre-Sale of A New Revolution was launched on September 11, 2012 at Provision's Official Bandcamp Site. http://provision.bandcamp.com/album/a-new-revolution A New Revolution was released worldwide on 10/11/12 Members *'Carlos 'Los' Covarrubias': Live bass guitar, studio engineering, occasional vocal arrangement. Carlos joined as an official band member between the Evaporate and Visualize album as a live bassist, and to head up marketing and promotions for Provision. Carlos helped engineer the recording of Visualize, The Consequence, and Paradigm Shift. After Provision disbanded in 2007, Carlos has continued to work heavily on his art (paintings) and his music project - Straynge. Carlos rejoined Provision in December 2012. *'Breye '7x' Kiser': Lead vocals, lyric and music composition. Breye founded Provision with Leslie Hyman in 2000, and is the only remaining original member. On 1/1/13 Breye officially announced the formation of - My Beloved Machine. A new Futurepop project with Dan VC of Vein Collector. Breye will be joining Houston's own Post Punk Darkwave specialists - The Abyss, as their keyboardist in the spring of 2013. Breye's former band Underground Netwerk Intelligence is currently in "Hibernation Status". *'Matt 'Maddy' Willis': Synthesizers, electronic percussion, backing vocals, lyric and music composition. Matt is the keyboardist, programmer, and lyricist of Splendor Projekt which he formed in 2004. Matt joined Provision in January 2009, and in March 2010 became part of the official writing team along with Jen and Breye. Matt is a core member of the band, having written more than a third of Provision's 4th and 5th L.P.'s. In the fall of 2012, Matt began posting demos on Soundcloud and Facebook for his new solo project - Transendent 7. *'Jen "Skully" Kiser': Synthesizers, electronic percussion, lead and backing vocals, lyric and music composition. Jen was a hired gun for the Visualize tour of 2004 (at first under the pseudonym first name Varien Foxx), and joined as a permanent member after the tour ended in 2005 as Jen Foxx. Jen has contributed lyrically and musically to Provision since 2005, with writing credits on more than half of Provision's catalog of albums. Jen's work has appeared on every Provision album, except for the debut L.P. - Evaporate. In December 2012, after 9 years of performing live and touring with Provision; Jen made the decision to retire from live performances with the band. Jen will continue to contribute to the writing of Provision's music, and make appearances at selected shows in the future. Previous Members and Crew *'Matt Coker': Vocals, synthesizers, and lyrics on Provision's debut album Evaporate. *'Randon Harris': Synthesizers and electronic percussion. In hiring Jen for the Visualize U.S. Tour, Breye got Randon Harris as part of the package. (Jen and Randon were working on their own project at the time.) Randon toured the U.S. during the first half of the Visualize tour using the stage name "Charles M". He rejoined the band in 2006 using his real name. Randon continues to release albums with his band P for Flamingo's which he created long before joining Provision. *'Leslie Hyman': Synthesizers, electronic percussion, and programming. Leslie founded Provision with Breye, and hired Matt Coker to complete the original line up. Leslie played lead synthesizers in Breye's former band "Underground Netwerk Intelligence" and was influential in shaping the early Provision sound. Leslie left Provision in September 2005 in order to pursure a full-time medical career. *'Katie McKinney': Live Synths for 3 shows in 2002 after Matt Coker left, during the Evaporate Era. *'Joel Schafer (Joel 313)': Electronic percussion, backing vocals, sampling. Joel convinced Breye to reform the band in August 2008. Joel played in all 5 of the 2009 shows that Provision performed. Joel left the band in 2010 deciding not to pursue music anymore. In 2011, Joel returned to music and helped solidify the line up for the band "Post Faction" with Mike Pofelski; formerly of The Daily Worker. *'Kelly Wilkins': Live mixing and lighting control from summer 2002 to early 2003, during the Evaporate Era and on the Liberation Winter Tour of 2002 / 2003. *'Alex Virlios': Live co-lead vocals and synths during the Liberation, Evaporate U.S., and Devotional Tours before Visualize was recorded. Alex joined the band CTRL after leaving Provision, and has released 3 albums with them. In April 2010, Alex joined Provision on stage at the "Oblivion" event in Houston featuring Anything Box to perform the songs "In Love" and "Neverending." These songs had not been played live since 2003 when Alex was last in the group. Alex now plays synths for the Post Punk Darkwave band EXIT from Austin, TX. Equipment When it comes to the synthesizer and drum machine sounds that shape Provision’s signature sound, Provision does not use VST's, softsynths, computer sequencing, or software. Every sound you hear comes from physical hardware. The basis of the Provision Sound is built on a system of sampling. All of the sounds besides those that come from midi slaved synthesizers and drum modules, come from a custom library that Breye began in 1996. The Provision sample library is comprised from the following Synthesizers & Drum Machines that Provision previously or currently owns: *'Akai XR-10 *'Alesis D4 *'Alesis SR-16 *'Arp Odyssey *'Arp Solina *'Casio CZ-101 *'E-Mu Procussion *'Korg Monopoly *'Korg Polysix *'Korg Poly-61 *'Minimoog *'Moog MG-1 *'Moog Source *'Novation Supernova *'Oberheim Matrix 6 *'Oberheim OBXa *'Roland Alpha Juno 1 *'Roland D-50 *'Roland Jupiter 8 *'Roland Juno-60 *'Roland Jx3p *'Roland R-8 *'Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 Midi Slaved Synthesizers *'Access Virus KC *'Novation KS4 *'Yamaha AN-200 *'Yamaha Cs1x *'Yamaha Cs2x *'Yamaha TG500 *'Waldorf XT-K Every sound in Provision's sampled library is a sound that was custom made, and then sampled from the synthesizers and drum machines listed above. The above machines were sampled on an Ensoniq ASR-10. These sounds are then loaded via floppy disc, into Provision's Sequencer / Workstation; an Ensoniq TS-10. Sampled sounds from the library are edited, effected, manipulated, tuned and eventually sequenced along with various hardware synthesizers (via Midi) to complete Provision's signature sound. Provision also samples many sounds from other non-synthesizer sources and incorporates those samples into the music. However, Provision has never sampled other artist’s music; or used drum loops in their compositions. Discography *''Innocence (E.P.)'' (2002) Limited to 100 Copies. *''Evaporate (L.P.)'' Provision's Debut Album. (First release 2002; second "Limited Edition" release 2004) *''Devotion (E.P.)'' (2003) Limited to 100 Copies. *''Visualize (L.P.)'' Provision's 2nd Album. ("Limited Edition" release from A Different Drum 2004; "Regular Edition" release 2005) *''Could've Had It All (E.P.)'' (2004) Single from Visualize. *''The Consequence (L.P.)'' (2006) Provision's 3rd Album. *''Ideal Warfare (E.P.)'' (2006) Dual-single from The Consequence, combining remixes of two songs from that album, "Ideal" and "Perversions Of Conventional Warfare". *''Paradigm Shift (L.P.)'' (2010) Provision's 4th album. *''A New Revolution (L.P.)'' (2012) Provision 5th album. (Official Worldwide Release - 10/11/12) Compilation Appearances *''True Faith – A Tribute to New Order'' (2001) – “Vanishing Point” by New Order (Cover) *''WXJL Presents – Music for the Masses'' (2002) – “Breathe” *''Elektrokuted – Metal and Rock Classic Revisited'' (2003) – “Lay It Down” by RATT (Cover) *''A Different Drum – San Antonio Synthpop Festival 2003'' Sampler (2003) – “In Love” *''A Different Drum – New Artist Sampler 2004'' (2004) – “Visualize” *''A Different Drum - Convergence 10 Sampler'' (2004) – “Visualize” *''A Different Drum – State of Synthpop 2003'' (2003) – “Illusion” *''A Different Drum - Listen To The Future'' (2004) – “The Persistent Rhythm of Before” *''A Different Drum – SLC 2K4 Official Bootleg'' (2004 - Live Festival) – “Could’ve Had It All”, and “Visualize” *''A Different Drum – State of Synthpop 2005'' (2005) – “Visualize” *''A Different Drum – Synthpop Club Anthems 4'' (2005) – “Could’ve Had It All (Daybehavior Remix)” *''Section 44 – 4X4 Multi Single Vol #2'' (2005) – “Could’ve Had It All (CTRL Remix)”, “Obvious (D.J. Dissent Remix), “Visualize (Bo City Club Mix by Rename)”, and Flood of Emotion (Cloudless Remix) *''A Different Drum / Section 44 / Ninthwave Records'' (2006) – New Music Sampler – “Someone Like You” *''Section 44 – Sector One Vol #1'' (2006) – “Denial” (Exclusive B-Side) Provision has produced numerous remixes for Rename, Ultraviolet, Brand New Day, Cylab, Asmodeus X and others. Provision has also recorded various cover songs by Poesie Noire, Camouflage, New Order, The Human League, Depeche Mode, RATT, and Cetu Javu. External links *Official Provision Website *Official Provision Facebook Page *Official Provision Reverbnation Page *Bandcamp - Provision's complete physical and digital discography *Provision Myspace, Official Provision Myspace Page *Kathodik Records Provision's Record Label *Section 44 Records, U.S. record label (once co-owned by Breye) that released The Consequence and Ideal Warfare *A Different Drum, U.S. record label under which Visualize and Could've Had It All were released *P for Flamingos Myspace, Official P for Flamingos Myspace Page Category:Electronic music groups from Texas Category:Musical groups from Houston, Texas